Wolfson College Record 2021

settling down with either of them.’ Then he met Ani (King-Underwood), another
strong and fascinating character, and capitulated; he enjoyed several years of close
companionship with her. But the end was tragic: Brian succumbed to Alzheimer’s
and eventually had to be moved into a nursing home, regularly and lovingly visited
by Ani (although he no longer recognised her), until she herself was afflicted by
motor-neurone disease. She died a few months after Brian.
John Penney (EF), with the assistance of David Robey and Alan Merchant
Bryan Sykes
(1947–2020)
Member of Common Room 1981–85, Research
Fellow 1985–88, Governing Body Fellow 1988–
2004, Vicegerent 2004–06, Senior Research
Fellow 2004–14, Emeritus Fellow 2014–20, died
on 10 December 2020
Bryan was never happier than when he had
a problem to solve. Sitting in his armchair at
4.00 in the morning, a mug of tea beside him,
pencil and paper to hand, he would toy with
the challenge of the moment, be it scientific
research in nature, inspiration for his latest
book, ancestry and archetype, DIY, how to
catch the big trout which lay beneath the river Photo: Wolfson College
bridge or the strategy for his forthcoming
croquet match. Even the latest of his inventions, of which there were plenty, might
qualify for these reflections: night after night until the ‘pink wire’ moment – an
allusion to his design of an early polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine aptly
called the Genesmaid – when the pieces would fall neatly into place. In all his
reasoning and practice Bryan was observant, analytical, practical and meticulous.
The words ‘approximately’, ‘perhaps’ or ‘I think it could be …’ irritated his desire
for clarity.
Bryan Sykes was born in London and educated at Eltham College where he was a
keen sportsman in rugby, cross country and swimming. He read biochemistry at
the University of Liverpool (1966–69) and was awarded a PhD by the University
of Bristol for his studies into the connective tissue and bone proteins elastin and
collagen. Coming to Oxford in 1974, he joined the research teams of Martin
Francis and Roger Smith at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and led their effort
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